Ad Disclosure
Oakland Raiders’ OC impressed with Amari Cooper’s size and strength this preseason
By Adam Spencer
Published:
Since the Oakland Raiders selected him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft, former Alabama WR Amari Cooper hasn’t disappointed, putting up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to start his career.
However, Cooper could have an even better season in 2017 if Oakland offensive coordinator Todd Downing is to be believed.
According to Raiders.com, Downing has been impressed with Cooper’s increased strength and physicality so far this preseason:
“Certainly his play strength. There’s been a lot made about him being a little bit bigger, and stronger, and you certainly see that,” he said. “It’s harder for defenders to knock him off his route, he gets his route depth more consistently, and his play speed has been really impressive for a guy who didn’t get a lot of practice. So we were pretty pleased with what we saw the other night.”
In the Raiders’ second preseason game last week, Cooper made three catches for 46 yards — not exactly huge numbers, but decent for the limited action he saw.
The Raiders will take on the Dallas Cowboys on Saturday night in their third preseason game, and it will be interesting to see how much playing time Cooper gets.
On one hand, you want him to be clicking for the start of the regular season, but on the other, you don’t want to risk an injury to one of your star players.
Adam is a daily fantasy sports (DFS) and sports betting expert. A 2012 graduate of the University of Missouri, Adam now covers all 16 SEC football teams. He is the director of DFS, evergreen and newsletter content across all Saturday Football brands.
